Even the crown prince had been completely unable to gauge the old man’s true identity.
Wasn’t that the very reason the Hoenir had stayed hidden in the shadows? I’d been lucky enough to witness his exceptional eloquence from our very first meeting, and I’d realized he was no ordinary old man.
"But the marquis is eighty years old. Is he still leading the Hoenir?"
"He stepped down as head of the Hoenir after His Highness the Grand Duke took the throne."
"And even that was three years ago. Who’s his successor?"
"...You wouldn’t know her, Your Highness, but it’s a woman named Clara."
The crown prince couldn’t possibly have imagined it. That the one who’d attempted the assassination at the Mainhof count palatine family’s banquet had not been a French assassin but Klugen, the Rose Knight, and that Klugen’s wife was Clara.
The chain of cause and effect was tangled and complex, and it was quite a sensitive matter, so I had no choice but to omit this part. He was better off not knowing.
"To think such an organization was hidden within the shadows of the royal family. A truly astonishing tale. But what’s your reason for revealing their identity to me at this point?"
"Because the ones who tried to assassinate me are the Hoenir."
"...What?"
The crown prince was struck with shock.
Whatever their reason for existing, on the surface the Hoenir were allies of the Grand Duke’s army. So the fact that they’d tried to assassinate the most critical figure in the Grand Duke’s army was no trivial matter.
"Why would the royal family’s shadows target you? No, it doesn’t add up."
"The reason was very simple. The Hoenir fractured, with a faction rebelling against the current head, Clara. They sided with the Duke of Radensdorf, and that’s what caused this whole mess."
"An intelligence organization defecting! What in the world is this!"
As a result, a vast amount of information had crossed over, and it had become such a tangle that one couldn’t tell what was truth and what was lie. That was why the Grand Duke’s army had lost to the duke’s army in the third battle.
And they’d failed to protect the exposed supply base, and the Grand Duke’s army had been forced to retreat all the way to the Breisburg border. Most recently, the defectors had tried to eliminate the critical supply of gunpowder, and me.
The crown prince was left speechless for a while by the fact that the root cause of all these events was the Hoenir’s fracture and betrayal. Because matters had unfolded in such a tangled way.
Until I’d grasped how all the pieces fit together, my head had ached too.
The crown prince spoke cynically.
"The royal family’s shadows? Don’t make me laugh. What kind of shadows are they if they betray us!"
"An intelligence organization that can no longer perform its function is bound to be purged in the end. It’s hard to guess what decision His Highness will make, but they probably won’t come out of this unscathed."
There was no telling what would become of the Hoenir as a result of this incident. Given that their betrayal had led to the defeat of the Grand Duke’s army in the third battle, the Grand Duke might well be gnashing his teeth.
It amounted to being stabbed in the back out of nowhere by trusted right-hand men.
Quite simply, neither the Grand Duke nor Marquis Bertheim had ever considered that there’d be backlash against a woman sitting in the head’s seat. That had been the fatal misstep, and it had led to the present situation.
They’d probably judged that Clara, having a considerable track record as a Hoenir, would be able to take control of the organization. And in fact Clara was highly capable, having driven the queen and Louis into a corner.
"Marquis Bertheim is now imprisoned in Radensdorf’s prison tower. After he headed east to dig into the royal family’s conspiracy, all word of him was cut off."
Why would an old man over eighty go east? The crown prince’s question was perfectly reasonable. I’d been deeply worried too. But he’d left for the east before anyone could stop him.
"Hoo, did the prisoner readily spill all that information?"
"He didn’t spill it, but there were any number of ways to find out."
"...Might I see that prisoner?"
"Unfortunately, the man killed himself."
The captured Hoenir, Niklas, had ultimately committed suicide in his cell. He had effectively been left to his own devices, so no one was there to stop him from taking his own life.
Letting him die without interference had been my own form of respect for his having told me the old man’s whereabouts.
"..."
"..."
The silence between the crown prince and me stretched on. Learning of a shadow organization like the Hoenir was astonishing enough, but on top of that, an internal fracture had occurred and some of them had betrayed us.
Because of it, a civil war that should have ended in a single stroke had dragged on until now. Before taking on Radensdorf, we’d have to be on guard, knowing the Hoenir could hatch any number of schemes.
The reality was that, ironically, the royal family’s shadows had become the greatest enemy threatening the Western Lords’ Army. The crown prince understood my position, having had to bear this hidden burden alone.
"Sir Streit, I pity you. To think I’ve gotten you caught up in such an absurd affair."
"Thank you for saying so, Your Highness. Only now do I feel it was worthwhile."
It was true that simply revealing the secret to the crown prince had lifted a weight off my chest. From here on, the crown prince and I would have to prepare our response to the Hoenir as partners.
They were still aiming at the ground beneath our feet.
Keep your eyes fixed only upward and you might trip over a stone.
"In the end, like it or not, a clear reason to go to Radensdorf has emerged."
"If we bring down Radensdorf, the traitors will be scattered as well. Clara won’t leave the traitors be. So we absolutely must capture Radensdorf."
"But will that be possible with the gunpowder we currently have?"
When the gunpowder ran short, the crown prince had apparently given serious thought—during discussions of force strength with the princes—to abandoning the Radensdorf campaign and joining the Breisburg front.
Because if the gunpowder ran out in the middle of a siege, it would truly be a disaster.
"A merchant named Wenzenberg came from Strasbourg. He sold us twenty precious barrels of gunpowder."
"You secured gunpowder? Is that really true?"
After nothing but grave talk up to now, at this welcome bit of relief the crown prince relaxed as if a bout of indigestion had finally passed. Because the grand strategy shifted constantly depending on whether or not we had gunpowder.
"That merchant has an uncanny sense for when there’s business to be done. I’d sent a man to Strasbourg, so I’ll have to send a letter telling him to come back."
"No, order him to assess the situation in Strasbourg."
"Do we need to assess that city’s situation?"
"There was interference from the duke. He hoarded gunpowder to keep us from securing any. Wenzenberg barely managed to smuggle out those twenty barrels with the help of an influential family."
They say a battle of wits is a matter of biting and being bitten, and the crown prince was appalled that the enemy’s schemes reached even into places he’d never have suspected. I too had only learned of the duke’s scheme after going through Wenzenberg.
I’d never in my wildest dreams imagined the duke would pour an enormous sum into hoarding the most important strategic resource so we couldn’t buy it. But because luck was on our side, Wenzenberg had made contact.
"I’m truly relieved there’s at least some good news. What is it that merchant wants?"
"He demanded a monopoly on military supplies and spoils of war."
"Granting a single merchant that authority is problematic, but if it’s limited to this civil war, there’s no reason we can’t. Above all, the merit of having brought gunpowder is great."
"So I accepted. Though he’ll have to hand over about seventy percent in taxes."
Perhaps judging that to be sufficient terms, the crown prince granted Wenzenberg an exclusive trading right over military supplies and spoils of war in writing. Of course, I was put fully in charge of that trade.
"He might beat down prices or cheat, but can you manage him reliably?"
"I’ll take responsibility for keeping watch so he can’t get away with any outrageous price gouging."
"If you, who are sharp with numbers, take charge, it should be fine."
The crown prince placed his full trust in me. So from now on, when conducting trade, Wenzenberg would have to deal with me rather than the supply commander.
He’d attempt all sorts of tricks and price inflation using his monopoly right, but it would be a futile effort against me, who could leave the Manager Scouter running and weed out any bluffs with a few questions.
Still, I’d have to let him pocket a decent amount of profit so he’d work hard.
There’s a reason the saying "carrot and stick" exists, after all.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
The generously packed gunpowder ignited, sending cannonballs flying. The siege of Kellerheim, the fortress located on the border between Konstanz and Radensdorf, had begun.
Crash!
Roaaar!
After five rounds of bombardment, the wall collapsed and our forces poured in. Capturing Kellerheim in a single day, we secured a supply base for taking Radensdorf.
There is only forward.